TMJ/Bruxism Question...?

Okay, so I grind my teeth at night constantly and I tend to clench my teeth at night as well (I never would have known if my bf wouldn't have told me). Yesterday I started feeling pain in my right ear (i thought it was because I qtip-ed my ear too hard, bad I know) but then today I noticed I couldn't chew food without this painful feeling in the right side of my jaw. As the day went on I noticed everytime I open and close my mouth my jaw hurts! After looking through yahoo answers and reading up on it I'm afraid I might have TMJ.

Since this is the first time I've felt pain in my jaw/ear is there a way to prevent it from getting worse? Is my jaw damaged permanently?? Is it even TMJ?

Thanks!! =]

call your dentist and have them make a night guard for you. It is pricey, mine was $500, but I ground my teeth for so long that I had cracked all the fillings I had, and they had to be replaced At $3000. If you cant afford a dentist right now try sleep right guard, I had one, but chewed Though the silicone pads in about 3 months
Also some dentists prescribe a muscle relaxer like flexeril if you are going through a stressful period and grind more then usual.

You should talk to your dentist (and a few others). There are wildly varying treatments for TMJ disorders and bruxism - it could be something as simple as a poor bite which braces could fix (the best diagnosis) or using a mouth splint at night.

Everyone has an opinion on treatment - but there are so many variables at play that you have to be diligent in your pursuit of an answer. Talking to a maxilliofacial surgeon wouldn't be a bad idea if you have chronic joint pain.
http://www.tmj.org/

sometimes grinding your teeth at night can make your jaw muscles sore. You may have the onset of tmj, maybe getting a mouth night guard will cut down on grinding teeth. Usually if you have tmj your jaw will pop, your ears will pop, may feel as if you have a ear infection. And when your jaw muscles are inflamminated and are acting up, you will feel constint pain. It feels like someone putting a piece of chewed gum on your jaw bone muscles, where it opens and closes. I have tmj and let me tell you when it acts up, it is my worse enemy. Maybe taking of advil will help keep swelling down. If you think you have tmj consult a doctor or a dentist.

Oh man i know the feeling i have tmj and it isnt fun. The ear thing sounds like tmj i get those and to help it go away faster i open and close my mouth like 10 times and it stops. Dont chew gum anymore or really chewy candys. Not to scare you but when i first found out i had it my jaw got stuck shut and i couldnt open it for 3 days i freaked out at 3 am i was only 17 and was stayin the night at a friends and went to the ER the staff laffed at me how sweet huh. Dr gives flexeral (sp) its a muscle relaxer when it acts up but i dont take pills so i had to deal with it till i learned how to pop it back in place. its been many years since it did that but its cuz i dont chew gum or chewy stuff anymore. theres no 100% cure tho sorry, they can do surgury but they say its not worth it. if you ever wanna talk about it or have questions feel free to email me.

Definitely go to a dentist. Other ways to keep it from getting worse, other than a night guard for when you sleep, are: don't chew gum, don't take huge bites from things, try not to eat super crunchy foods (I thought it was odd, but my boyfriend has TMJ and was told to avoid carrots), and don't rest your jaw on your hand - it puts pressure on your jaw, etc.

Also, I got worried about TMJ a while back and was told braces might help.